There is currently a drive toward reducing the noise generated by computing devices such as personal computers (PCs). Several components of such computing devices generate noise during operation. For example, fans provided within a computing device to cool the processor create noise. Another source of noise is the vibrations that are transmitted to the device chassis, sometimes referred to as structure-borne noise. For instance, vibrations generated by storage media (e.g., hard disk, optical disc) drives can be transmitted to a drive cage in which the drives are housed and can therefore reverberate throughout the computing device chassis.
In many existing computing devices, storage media drives are mounted within the drive cage such that the exterior housing of each drive directly contacts the drive cage. Given that the drive housing and the drive cage are typically constructed of metal, the direct metal-to-metal contact between the drive and the cage facilitates transmission of the vibrations generated by the drive.
In view of that phenomenon, some computing device manufacturers have incorporated grommets into the drive cage that physically isolate the drives so that direct contact is not made between the drives and the drive cage. Although that solution is effective in reducing transmission of vibrations from the drives to the computing device chassis, it creates other problems. For example, given that the grommets must be mounted within the drive cage (prior to drive installation), fasteners that extend from the drive cage, through the grommets, and into the drives can only be fastened after the drive has been positioned within the cage. Because of that fact, the drives must be installed prior to other computing device construction to ensure that the assembler can access the fasteners to secure them to the drives.
In addition to increasing the difficulty of manufacturing, the above-described isolation solution also increases the difficulty of servicing the computing device. Specifically, because the grommets are mounted to the drive cage, the drives cannot be removed from the cage for servicing or replacement without first removing the fasteners from the drive. Because those fasteners cannot be accessed from the front of the drive cage, such removal may require substantial disassembly of the computing device, which would otherwise not be necessary if the drives were more conventionally mounted.